Jinmaku Kyūgorō

Sumo wrestler infobox
wrestlername = 陣幕 久五郎 Jinmaku Kyūgorō


realname = Shintaro Ishigura
dateofbirth = birth date|1829|6|4
placeofbirth = Shimane, Japan
dateofdeath = death date and age|1903|10|21|1829|6|4
height = convert|1.74|m|ftin|abbr=on|lk=on
weight = convert|138|kg|lb|abbr=on|lk=on
heya = Hidenoyama
rank =
record = 87-5-65-17draws-3holds
(Makuuchi)
debut = November, 1850
highestrank = Yokozuna (July, 1867)
retireddate=November, 1867
yushos = 5 (Makuuchi)
update = June 2007

Jinmaku Kyūgorō (陣幕 久五郎, June 4, 1829 - October 21, 1903) was a sumo wrestler from what is now Shimane, Japan. He was the sport's 12th Yokozuna.

Career

Jinmaku was born in Ou District, Izumo Province (modern Yatsuka District, Shimane). His real name may have been Shintaro Ishigura (石倉 槇太郎, "Ishigura Shintarō"). In 1847 became a pupil of wrestler Hatsushio Kyūgorō in Onomichi, Hiroshima. When Hatsushio died in 1848 he moved to Osaka and became a pupil of Asahiyama Shirouemon, fighting his first bout in 1850. He worked under Tokushima Domain and moved to Matsue Domain and then Satsuma Domain.

In 1850 he moved to Edo (modern Tokyo) and became a pupil of Hidenoyama Raigorō, the 9th yokozuna. He entered the "makuuchi" division in January 1858. In January 1867, he was initially awarded a "yokozuna" licence by the House of Gojo and not the Tokyo based House of Yoshida Tsukasa. He was awarded an official "yokozuna" licence in July 1867 but the November 1867 tournament became his last tournament. On December 25, 1867, he saw the beginning of the national fight and sent a letter to Saigo Takamori. He escaped from Edo and moved to Kyoto. Boshin War began in January 1868 and he protected his master Shimazu Tadayoshi.

Jinmaku won 87 bouts and lost only 5 bouts in the top "makuuchi" division. All his defeats came when he was ranked as a "maegashira" and "sekiwake". He is the only wrestler to have never lost a bout as a "yokozuna". His winning percentage reached 94.6. [cite web | author= Kuroda, Joe| title=A Shot At the Impossible-Yokozuna Comparison Through The Ages | publisher=sumofanmag.com | url=http://www.sumofanmag.com/content/Issue_5/Yokozuna.htm| date=February 2006 | accessdate=2008-07-03]

Yokozuna monument

In 1900 Jinmaku erected the Yokozuna Rikishi Memorial Monument in the grounds of the Tomioka Hachiman Shrine in the Koto ward of Tokyo. It was the culmination of a lengthy personal project to properly acknowledge all his fellow "yokozuna".cite web|author=Kuroda, Joe|title=The First Yokozuna (Akashi Shiganosuke) and the history of sumo's ultimate rank|publisher=Sumo Fan Magazine|url=http://www.sumofanmag.com/content/Issue_6/Rikishi_of_Old.htm|date=April 2006|accessdate=2008-04-28] For the first time, Akashi Shiganosuke, Ayagawa Goroji and Maruyama Gondazaemon were recognised as the first three Yokozuna.

Top division record

"*2 tournaments were held yearly in this period, though the actual time they were held was often erratic"
"*Championships from this period were unofficial
"*Yokozuna were not listed as such on the ranking sheets until 1890
"*There was no fusensho system until March 1927
"*All top division wrestlers were usually absent on the 10th day until 1909

References

reflist

ee also

*Glossary of sumo terms
*List of past sumo wrestlers
*List of yokozuna

External links

* [http://www.fsinet.or.jp/~sumo/profile/1/18580101.htm complete biography and basho results (Japanese)]
* [http://www.lemondedusumo.com/english/MDS10_68_yokozuna.php?mag=mds&num=10 Article on Jinmaku's yokozuna list]